Major award for railway enthusiast

Award winner Nathan Lightowler poses in front of his pride and joy, No. 85 Merlin, at RPSI Whitehead. MARK WALSH

Nathan Lightowler, 19, who has just completed an engineering apprenticeship, was named as winner of the 2012 Northern Ireland & Wales section of the Marsh Award for Museum Learning.

At the awards ceremony in London, Nathan was even more thrilled to be announced as being joint National Award winner.

Nathan was nominated by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI) at Whitehead, which cited the dedication and commitment he has shown during the restoration of former Great Northern Railway (Ireland) Class V No. 85 Merlin.

Mark Walsh of the RPSI from Lisburn said that Nathan had “made it his mission” to get the 1932 built Compound steam engine back on the mainline.

And Nathan’s dream will come true when the locomotive starts a programme of running in trips in preparation for a return to passenger operation this autumn.

Nathan was presented with his award at a ceremony in the British Museum in London.

He said it was a great honour, not just for himself but for the RPSI as a whole.

He said: “I am delighted and honoured to be a regional winner in the Marsh award.

“It was all a complete surprise to me as I had not realised that my colleagues at Whitehead had nominated me. I first started working as a volunteer at Whitehead in December 2007 and found it to be a welcoming environment. I have always been interested in trains and in particular in how steam engines work. So the project to restore No. 85 to working order really fired my imagination. Merlin is the biggest and best of the RPSI’s steam engines and it will be a super moment when she returns to the main line. No. 85 will always remain a massive part of my life.

“The work in which I have been involved has often been dirty and difficult but there has always been good guidance and plenty of encouragement for me. I have learned a host of engineering skills which I hope will stand to me in my career.”

And Nathan’s work with No. 85 has helped him to secure employment with the Strathspey Railway at Aviemore in Scotland. He is due to begin work later this month as an engineer/locomotive fitter with the preserved railway. The RPSI’s next steam train trip will be the Bangor Belle which runs from Belfast and Lisburn to Bangor on Saturdays August 17 and 24. Details are available from http://www.steamtrainsireland.com/